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POLITICO 44

The back-to-back retirement announcements last week by Democratic Sens. Chris Dodd and Byron Dorgan stunned even Capitol Hill insiders — and there could be more shocks to come.

Reps. Marion Berry of Arkansas, Rick Boucher of Virginia and Alan Mollohan of West Virginia are among those who rank at the top of House Democrats’ retirement watch list. So far, none have committed to running for reelection, and each holds a seat that could flip to Republicans in November.

“At the outset of the cycle, there was a sense that these members would be OK, that they would be invulnerable and nothing could shake them,” said Cook Political Report House analyst David Wasserman. “Clearly, the last six months has shaken them and washed away this aura of invincibility.”

The sense of uncertainty is rattling the nerves of Democrats and spurring gleeful speculation by Republicans.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who have both tried to tamp down retirements, have pressed outgoing members to get the news out early so the party can recruit replacements.

But when four House Democrats complied — and began a string of House retirement announcements — it set off fears of a domino effect. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen was soon scrambling to get assurances from other members rumored to be looking for the exit. Afterward, Van Hollen sought to calm the waters by telling ABC News, “I’m not sure exactly what the pattern’s going to be, but what I do know is we’re not going to see a wave of Democratic retirements like we saw in 1994,” when Republicans gained control of the House.

Most of the Democrats who announced they are stepping down at the end of their term have several things in common. They’re in their 50s or 60s, have spent most of their career in Washington and sport impressive records of legislative accomplishment.

Some are hoping to pad their savings accounts with cushy lobbying jobs while their party’s firmly in power; others have said they’re looking forward to a less time-consuming job that will enable them to spend more time with their families.

And most important, on the political front, many had been entrenched members of Congress who were facing the all-too-real prospect of their first tough election in years, if not decades.

Tennessee Rep. Bart Gordon is a proto­type of the Democrats looking to leave Washington. He was elected in 1984, in a crowded field, to the House seat Al Gore vacated to run for the Senate. After spending 25 years in the House, Gordon now chairs the House Science and Technology Committee.

Despite an overall Southern shift toward Republicans in the past few decades, the Tennessee native hadn’t faced a tough reelection in more than a decade — and in 2008, he faced no Republican opposition at all.

But this year, he was facing the fight of his political life. One poll commissioned by a Republican opponent showed the 13-term congressman losing.

“Clearly, I was going to have a difficult race — one I think that was winnable but difficult,” Gordon told POLITICO.

“Do you put your staff through all of that?” he said he asked himself. “You look, and you say: ‘I’ve been a member of Congress, served on major committees, been chairman of a committee, passed landmark legislation; I’d done everything I hoped to do over here.’”

The decision also was personal, he said. “Part of it was turning 60 years old and recognizing I have 10 years or more that I want to work on a full-time basis. Do I do this for another 10 years or take an option for another career?”

Readers' Comments (36)

The DemocRATS are seeing the handwriting on the wall. People like Alan Mollahan who has been listed in the TOP TEN CORRUPT DEMOCRATS know they will not be re-elected. In fact, if old Nancy had kept her promise to investigate these creeps, they would be in JAIL today. The tsunami is coming. It is hugh and will clean the stench from the Halls of Congress. We will do the same in 2012 for the White House. We are taking our government back from the Progressive Commie Dirtbags who have been running it into the ground for the past 4 years. Before that Bush did a pretty good job of bankrupting our treasury. We have all learned a very hard lesson and are ready to do what it takes to restore our Constitutional Republic.

The DemocRATS are seeing the handwriting on the wall. People like Alan Mollahan who has been listed in the TOP TEN CORRUPT DEMOCRATS know they will not be re-elected. In fact, if old Nancy had kept her promise to investigate these creeps, they would be in JAIL today. The tsunami is coming. It is hugh and will clean the stench from the Halls of Congress. We will do the same in 2012 for the White House. We are taking our government back from the Progressive Commie Dirtbags who have been running it into the ground for the past 4 years. Before that Bush did a pretty good job of bankrupting our treasury. We have all learned a very hard lesson and are ready to do what it takes to restore our Constitutional Republic.

And yet ANOTHER corrupt DemocRAT who thinks he is entitled. Is there no end to the corruption in this party? When is Nancy going to drain the swamp? She is about 4 years late and these parasites are breeding!

Report: Rep. Ackerman may have violated ethics rules with loan deal

By Jordan Fabian - 01/11/10 03:31 PM ET

Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) may have broken House ethics rules for taking a sweetheart loan from a defense contractor, according to the New York Daily News.

The veteran Queens, N.Y. lawmaker reportedly put no money down when he purchased private stock in Xenonics, Inc., instead using $14,000 borrowed from his friend, who was the company's leading shareholder.

The Daily News reported the allegations on Monday.

The loan had no payback date and no collateral, which may violate House ethics rules.

Exactly how many Democrats are retiring from the Senate and House and how many Republicans? Oh, more Republicans!!!! But, that doesn't make for good enough headlines, does it Josh?

The difference is that the Republicans announced last YEAR that they would be retiring and have great candidates lined up to take their places. The Dems are bailing out like RATS off a sinking ship. They can see the handwriting on the wall!

Tennessee Rep. Bart Gordon is a proto­type of the Democrats looking to leave Washington. He was elected in 1984, in a crowded field, to the House seat Al Gore vacated to run for the Senate. After spending 25 years in the House, Gordon now chairs the House Science and Technology Committee.

Despite an overall Southern shift toward Republicans in the past few decades, the Tennessee native hadn’t faced a tough reelection in more than a decade — and in 2008, he faced no Republican opposition at all.

But this year, he was facing the fight of his political life. One poll commissioned by a Republican opponent showed the 13-term congressman losing.

Losing...so the democrat does the leftist time honored Yellow Skunk shuffle, tucks tail and...cut'n'runs. Now multiply this by 50 or 60 or more and you'll figure the fine kettle'o'fish in which the left finds themsleves. Say, it couldn't have anything to do with intregrity, honesty, credibility or a Marxist agenda could it? It might be that America has rejected this leftist socialist agenda many times in the past are are a-fixin' to do so again and leaving many democrats nowhere to hide.

Those that need to leave are Pelosi, Barney Franks, and the other leftis criminals, plus the majority of the Black and Hispanic Caucus, if we are to clean this Congress so that they will do what is right for this country.

When Ted Kennedy died five months ago, who would have guessed that the contest to replace him would be anything but a slam-dunk for the Democrats? Yet there was no slam-dunk on that stage last night, and the race certainly doesn’t feel like a slam-dunk now.

“It’s not the ‘Kennedy Seat,’ ’’ Brown has been reminding Coakley lately. “It’s the people’s seat.’’ Amazing thing is, he could be right.

Reagan's and Clinton's Approval Ratings were both lower than President Obama's are now during their 1st terms and both were easily re-elected to a second term. Job approval at the one year mark is meaningless.

My, isnt it so very interesting that the Politico "writers" fail to mention that there are currently FOURTEEN Republicans retiring from the House in 2010 (to the Democrats TEN) and that there are SIX Republicans retiring in the Senate (to the Democrats THREE).

Wonder why they don't want you to be aware of THAT? Who needs "journalists " & fact checkers when you've got Bloggers instead. That's SO much easier than doing actual research.

Historically the President's party loses seats during the midterms. It almost always happens, though apparently not as bad this year, what with Republican's polling numbers even worse than the Dems. Nothing to see here folk....move along.

Hot Air: The Mass. Senate race… and beyond posted at 11:45 pm on January 11, 2010 by Karl

Whatever the polls may say (and Scott Rasmussen has more on that), the fact that the DNC is sending a senior press aide to Massachusetts to help state Attorney General Martha Coakley fend off Republican challenger Scott Brown tells the world that Democrats are worried. And that was before Brown’s million-dollar money-bomb detonated on Monday.